Gay groups grow impatient with Obama

WASHINGTON, June 4 (UPI) -- Gay rights activists who backed Barack Obama in his U.S. presidential bid say they're frustrated with what they see as his inaction on gay and lesbian issues.

"Obama is out of step with his (Democratic) party, which is overwhelmingly in favor of (same-sex) marriage at this stage," veteran gay rights activist David Mixner told the newspaper Politico.

Same-sex marriage -- which first became a U.S. reality in 2004 -- is now legal in five New England states and Iowa.

"Politicians are finding out that their voters are moving faster than they anticipated," Democratic pollster Celinda Lake told Politico.

The newspaper observed that "the otherwise dreaded former Vice President Dick Cheney" publicly supported gay marriage Monday -- "a position that puts him to the left of Obama," Politico said.

Cheney has a gay daughter.

The White House says Obama is not ready to push his highest-profile pro-gay positions but is expected to move forward soon on lower-profile gay issues, such as restrictions on visas for people with human immunodeficiency virus, Politico said.

Obama "remains fully committed" to advancing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Jim Messina said.